Process of and apparatus for rectifying spirits



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. H. THIERMAN.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR REOTIFYING SPIRITS. No. 284,087. PatentedAug. 28, 1883.

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J. H. THIERMAN. PROCESS 01? AND APPARATUS FOR REGTIFYING SPIRITS.

No. 284,087. Patented Aug. 28, 1883...

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UNITED STATES PATENT Urrrcn.

JOHN HENRY THIERMAN, OF LOUISYILLE, KENTUCKY.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR RECTIFrING SPIRITS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,087, dated August28,1883. Application filed June 29, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- m

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY THIERMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Louis; ville, in the county of Jefferson and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Processand Apparatus for Rectifying Spirits; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of my entire rectifying apparatus. Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view of one of the filtering-cylinders. Fig. 3 is across-section of the same. Fig. 4 is a broken-off detail view of theupper end of the outlet-pipe. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the upper endof the same detached; and Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view, on anenlarged scale, of the perforated false bottom.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has relation to that class 0 f app aratus for rectifying orfiltering spirits in which the spirits are passed through a vesselfilled with charcoal, having pipe and cock connections, which allowwater to be passed through the spent charcoal, washing the remainingspirits out before removing the charcoal; and it consists, first, in theprocess of filtering and rectifying the spirits to an even degree bypassing the same successively through two vessels, one containinghalf-spent charcoal, and alternately renewing said charcoal; and,secondly, in the improved construction and combination of parts of anapparatus, in which the washing of the charcoal is made easy, the

filtering more perfect, and by which the spirits may be conducted topass first through eitherof the two vessels, as hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letters A and B indicate therectifyingcylinders. G is the reservoir containing the spirits to berectified; D, the tank for receiving the dilute spirits, and E the tankfor the reception of the rectified spirits. The rectifying-cylinders areboth of the same construction, and consist of an outer cylindricalcasing, F, preferably of copper, having a rigid bottom, G, and a flange,II, at its upper edge. A perforated false bottom, I, having feet Jraising it from the botsaid bottom and held stretched over the same bymeans of a wire or similar band, M, pressing it into the groove, whilethe edges of the blanket extending beyond the wire are turned upward,forming a packing between the edges of the false bottom and the sides ofthe cylinder, which is done by allowing the edges to be turned up by theupper edge of the cylinder in inserting the covered false bottom. Thelower end of the cylinder is provided with a man-hole, through which theSpent charcoal may be removed, the central portion of the cylinder beingfilled with charcoal, which extends to the upper end of the cylinder,where the latter is provided with a false top, N, of the sameconstruction as the false bottom, having an annular groove, 0, andcovered upon its under side with a blanket, P, fastened in the samemanner as upon the bottom. This false bottom is held in place by aflanged cover, Q, which is fastened to the flange upon the upper edge ofthe cylinder by means of nutted bolts R, and which has a packing-ring,S, of

rubber or other elastic material. interposed between its outer rim andthe flange upon the cylinder, making the cover fit tightly upon thesame, and the cover is provided at its top with a vent-cock, T, throughwhich the air in the cylinder may escape when the latter is filled; Thecylinder has an inlet-pipe, U, entering it at the bottom, below thefalse bottom, and an outlet-pipe, V, which passes inside the cylinderalong one side of the same, from above the false top, 'where it isenlarged, forming a'fiat oblique-faced perforated head or strainer, WV,as seen in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, until it passes out of thecylinder near the foot of the same, a short distance above the falsebottom, and the edge of the false top has a halfround notch, X, whichfits tightly around the pipe at the point where it passes it. A pipe,1), passes from the unreetified-spirit reservoir, which is preferablyplaced above the cylinders, and is provided with a stop-cock, a, and thelower horizontal portion of pipe I) has a branch pipe, 0, provided witha stop-cock, d, which pipe opens into the inlet-pipe of the cylinder Thelower horizontal portion of pipe b passes. beyond the branch pipe 0, andenters the inlet-pipe of cylinder B, where it is provided with astop-cock, e, and the branch pipe 0 is continued upon the other side ofthe said cylinder, forming a connecting-pipe, g, running parallel withthe horizontal portion of pipe I), and provided with a stop-cock, h,near the point where it opens into the inlet-pipe of the secondcylinder, and having at its middle an upwardly-extending vertical pipe,i,which connects with the outlet-pipes, as later described. The lowerend of the inlet-pipe of r the first cylinder has a cock, j, and opensinto a water-pipe, 7a, which runs parallel with the .horizontal portionof pipe I), and has a cock, Z, immediately before the point where itconnects with the inlet-pipe, and is continued over to the inlet-pipe of.the second cylinder,where it has a cock, m, at the point where itconnects with the lower end of the said pipe. The ends of the upper setof horizontal pipes. The second, 0, of the upper set of horizontal pipeseX- tends with its downwardly-bent end into the diluted-spirit tank, andis connected with the outlet-pipe of the second cylinder through abranch pipe, u, having a stop-cock, o, and the upper one, p, of the sameset of horizontal pipes extends into the tank for the reception of therectified spirits, and is connected with theoutlet-pipe of the secondcylinder through a branch pipe, w, having a stop-cock, a.

To illustrate the operation of the apparatus I will start with thesupposition that the charcoal in the second cylinder, or cylinder B, hasjust been renewed, and the charcoal in the cylinder A is half spent, andby considering all cocks not mentioned as open at the different steps ofthe process as being closed, Cook a on the conveying-pipe is now opened,admitting'the spirits to fiow down through cock -d, which is opened intothe inlet-pipe of the first cylinder, the vent-cock of which is openeduntil the spirits have ascended to its top, when it is closed. In thiscylinder the spirits pass first through the blanketed false bottom,through the charcoal, and through the blanketed false top, whichprevents particles of charcoal from passing out with the spirits throughthe enlarged strainer-head upon the upper end of the outlet-pipe, fromwhence it passes through the opened cock q into the horizontal pipe 9,through the cock h upon that pipe, into the inlet-pipe of the secondcylinder, through that cylinder, out at the 'outlet-pipe, up through theupwardly-bent portion of the same into the horizontal portion of pipe19, through branch pipe w and cock as, by which pipe the spirits arecarried to the tank for receiving the rectified liquor.

When the charcoal now in the firstcylinder is entirely spent, the fiowof spirits is stopped by closing cock a; cock 1 upon the water-pipe isthereupon opened, and cock j upon the inlet-pipe, when the water willenter the cylin der passing through it, washing all the remaining tracesof spirits with it from the charcoal, and passing out at theoutlet-pipe,

from which it enters the second of the upper set of horizontal pipesthrough its cock r, and passes through the said pipe into the tank orcistern for receiving the diluted spirits. The charcoal is now removedfrom the cylinder through the man-hole, and purified in any desiredmanner, whereupon the cylinder is filled with fresh charcoal and madeready for operation. It will now be seen that the first cylinder nowcontains fresh charcoal and the second cylinder half-spent coal,wherefore the spirits must be conducted a different course, firstpassing through the second cylinder, and thereupon through the first. Tothis end cook a is again opened, allowing the spirits to descend, thistime passing the branch pipe 0, thecock of which is closed, and enteringthe inlet-pipe of the second cylinder through cock 6, which is opened.The spirits thereupon pass through the second cylinder, passing outthrough the outlet-pipe, through cock t into the lower pipe, a, of theupper set of horizontal pipes, through the vertical connecting-pipe intothe upper pipe, 9, of the lower set of horizontal pipes, the cock f ofwhich is open, admitting the spirits to enter the first cylinder,through which they pass out at the up per portion of the upwardly-bentoutlet-pipe, where it passes through the cock 8 into the pipe conveyingthe spirits to the tank for receiving the rectified spirits. When thecharcoal in the second cylinder is entirely spent, the fiow of spiritsis stopped, water admitted into pipe is through cock m into thecylinder, passing through the same and through branch pipe it upon itsoutlet-pipe, the cock '2) a of which branch pipe is opened into' thepipe carrying the diluted spirits to their tank, when the processdescribed is again repeated. It will thus be seen that one of thecylinders c011- tains always fresh charcoal and the other half spentcoal, and that by passing the spirits first through the half-spentcharcoal, and thereupon through-the fresh coal, I obtain a more perfectfiltration and rectification, the coarser impurities being detained inthe half-spent coal,.while the fresh coal will give the spirits thefinishing filtration, the blanket forming the packing at the sides, andthe strainer upon the outlet-pipe of the cylinder preventing anyparticles of the charcoal from passing out of .the cylinder with thespirits.

I do not wish to claim, broadly, the process of passing spirits to berectified through new and half-spent charcoal in the same process; but

WVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-

1. The process of filtering and rectifying spirits, consisting inpassing the spirits from their reservoir successively through twocylinders containing charcoal, alternately washing out and renewing saidcharcoal, and alter nately conducting the spirits first through onecylinder, and thereupon through the other, conducting them first throughthe cylinder containing half-spent charcoal, and thereupon through thecylinder containing fresh charcoal, as and for the purpose shown and setforth.

2. A false bottom or top for a filtering or rectifying apparatus,havingan annular groove in its edge, in combination with a blanket stretchedover the same, and having its edges doubled upward, and a ring drawnaround the outer portions of the blanket, inside its doubled-up edges,and fitting into the groove in the edge of the false bottom or top, asand for the purpose shown and set forth.

3. The combination of afiltering or rectifying cylinder, a false bottomand top perforated and having an annular groove around their edges, andblankets stretched over the f tlse bottom and top, and having theiredges held against the edges of the false bottom and top by ringsfitting between the edges of the false bottom and top and the sides ofthe cylinder, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

l. The combination of a rectifying-cylinder and outlet-pipe having itsupper opening at the top of the cylinder and passing down along theinside of the same, a perforated false bottom and top having annulargrooves in their edges, and the false top having a half-round notch inits edge fitting around the outletpipe, and blankets stretched over thefalse bottom and top, and having their edges held against the edges ofthe false bottom and top by rings fitting in the grooves and doubledback, forming a packing between the edges of the false bottom and topand the sides of the cylinder, as and for the purpose shown and setforth.

5. An apparatus for rectifying spirits, c011- sisting of a reservoir forthe spirits to be rectified, a conveying-pipe having a cock at its upperend near the reservoir, two rectifying-cylinders having inlet and outletpipes, a waterpipe, a set of horizontal inlet-pipes having JOHN HENRYTHIERMAN.

WVitnesses:

GEORGE WILLIAM HOELING, FRANCIS XAVIER GEBRE.

